Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 433
Lectionary: 433
Brothers and sisters,
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another,
"I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God's co-workers;
you are God's field, God's building.
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another,
"I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God's co-workers;
you are God's field, God's building.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21
R. (12) Blessed
the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
AlleluiaLK 4:18
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 4:38-44
After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.
At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God."
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.
At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, "To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent."
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.
At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God."
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.
At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, "To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent."
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Meditation: "He laid his hands on
every one and healed them"
Who do you take your troubles to? Jesus' disciples
freely brought their troubles to him because they found him ready and able to
deal with any difficulty, affliction, or sickness which they encountered. When
Simon Peter brought Jesus to his home for the Sabbath meal (right after Jesus
preached in the synagogue in Capernaum), his mother-in-law was instantly healed
because Jesus heard Simon's prayer. Jesus could not avoid drawing a crowd
wherever he went.
Jesus wants to set us free today
No one who asked Jesus for help was left disappointed. Jesus' numerous healings and exorcisms demonstrated the power and authority of his word, the "good news of the kingdom of God." When he rebuked the fever, it immediately left. When he rebuked the demons, they left as well. Why did the demons shudder at Jesus' presence? They recognized that he was the Christ, the Son of God and that he had power to destroy their kingdom by releasing those bound by it. Jesus came to set us free from bondage to sin and evil. Do you seek freedom in Christ and trust in his power to set you free?
No one who asked Jesus for help was left disappointed. Jesus' numerous healings and exorcisms demonstrated the power and authority of his word, the "good news of the kingdom of God." When he rebuked the fever, it immediately left. When he rebuked the demons, they left as well. Why did the demons shudder at Jesus' presence? They recognized that he was the Christ, the Son of God and that he had power to destroy their kingdom by releasing those bound by it. Jesus came to set us free from bondage to sin and evil. Do you seek freedom in Christ and trust in his power to set you free?
When Jesus and the disciples sought a lonely place to
regroup and rest, they found instead a crowd waiting for them! Did they resent
this intrusion on their hard-earned need for privacy and refreshment? Jesus
certainly didn't but welcomed them with open-arms. Jesus put human need ahead
of everything else. His compassion showed the depths of God's love and concern
for all who are truly needy. Jesus gave the people the word of God and he
healed them physically as well as spiritually.
Jesus never tires of hearing and answering our pleas
We can never intrude upon God nor exhaust his generosity and kindness. He is ever ready to give to those who earnestly seek him out. Do you allow Jesus to be the Lord and Healer in your personal life, family, and community? Approach him with expectant faith. God's healing power restores us not only to health but to active service and care of others. There is no trouble he does not want to help us with and there is no bondage he can't set us free from. Do you take your troubles to him with expectant faith that he will help you?
We can never intrude upon God nor exhaust his generosity and kindness. He is ever ready to give to those who earnestly seek him out. Do you allow Jesus to be the Lord and Healer in your personal life, family, and community? Approach him with expectant faith. God's healing power restores us not only to health but to active service and care of others. There is no trouble he does not want to help us with and there is no bondage he can't set us free from. Do you take your troubles to him with expectant faith that he will help you?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you have all power to heal
and to deliver. There is no trouble nor bondage you cannot overcome. Set me
free to serve you joyfully and to love and serve others generously. May nothing
hinder me from giving myself wholly to you and to your service."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus the Chief Physician, by
Jerome (347-420 AD)
"'Now Simon's mother-in-law was kept in her bed
sick with a fever.' May Christ come to our house and enter in and by his
command cure the fever of our sins. Each one of us is sick with a fever.
Whenever I give way to anger, I have a fever. There are as many fevers as there
are faults and vices. Let us beg the apostles to intercede for us with Jesus,
that he may come to us and touch our hand. If he does so, at once our fever is
gone. He is an excellent physician and truly the chief Physician. Moses is a
physician. Isaiah is a physician. All the saints are physicians, but he is the
chief Physician." (excerpt from HOMILIES
ON THE GOSPEL OF MARK 75.1)
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 5, LUKE 4:38-44
Weekday
(1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Psalm 33)
Weekday
(1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Psalm 33)
KEY VERSE: "To other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent" (v. 43).
TO KNOW: Jesus Christ is Soter, healer of both body and spirit. God's power was at work in Jesus whose divine authority over all forms of evil came from within his very being. After curing the demoniac in the synagogue at Capernaum (Lk 4:33-35), he went to the home of Simon Peter. With a powerful word he cured Simon's mother-in-law who lay ill with a severe fever. As a true servant of God, she arose and waited on Jesus and his disciples. At sunset, the Sabbath ended and the people were free to bring their sick to Jesus. He laid hands on them, curing those who were ill and driving out evil spirits. In the morning, Jesus retired to a deserted place, but the people came in search of him, beseeching him to remain with them. Jesus told them that he must proclaim the gospel to others because that was why he had been sent.
TO LOVE: Do I know someone who needs Jesus' healing touch?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I pray for all those in need of your healing word.
Wednesday 5
September 2018
1 Corinthians 3:1-9. Psalm 32(33):12-15, 20-21. Luke 4:38-44.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own—Psalm
32(33):12-15, 20-21.
When Simon’s mother-in-law was cured, immediately she began to
serve them.
Simon’s mother-in-law realised that she had been given back her
health to spend it in the service of others. She wanted no fussing; she wanted
to get on with serving her family and Jesus. We would do well to remember that
if God gives us the priceless gift of health and strength we are given it so
that we might use it in the service of others.
Later in the story we see that there is no word of complaint or
resentment when Jesus’ privacy, his opportunity for prayer, was invaded by the
crowds. Prayer for Jesus was never an escape from a hard-pressing reality; it
prepared him for the insistent cry of human need.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Saint of the Day for September 5
(August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997)
 |
| Mother Teresa accompanies Pope John Paul II as he visits people at the Home For the Dying in Kolkata, India, in 1986. (CNS photo/Arturo Mari, L’Osservatore Romano) |
Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Story
Mother
Teresa of Calcutta, the tiny woman recognized throughout the world for her work
among the poorest of the poor, was beatified October 19, 2003. Among those
present were hundreds of Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded in
1950, as a diocesan religious community. Today the congregation also includes
contemplative sisters and brothers and an order of priests.
Born
to Albanian parents in what is now Skopje, Macedonia, Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu
was the youngest of the three children who survived. For a time, the family
lived comfortably, and her father’s construction business thrived. But life
changed overnight following his unexpected death.
During
her years in public school, Agnes participated in a Catholic sodality and
showed a strong interest in the foreign missions. At age 18, she entered the
Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was 1928 when she said goodbye to her mother for
the final time and made her way to a new land and a new life. The following
year she was sent to the Loreto novitiate in Darjeeling, India. There she chose
the name Teresa and prepared for a life of service. She was assigned to a high
school for girls in Calcutta, where she taught history and geography to the
daughters of the wealthy. But she could not escape the realities around her—the
poverty, the suffering, the overwhelming numbers of destitute people.
In 1946, while riding
a train to Darjeeling to make a retreat, Sister Teresa heard what she later
explained as “a call within a call. The message was clear. I was to leave the
convent and help the poor while living among them.” She also heard a call to
give up her life with the Sisters of Loreto and instead, to “follow Christ into
the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor.”
After
receiving permission to leave Loreto, establish a new religious community, and
undertake her new work, Sister Teresa took a nursing course for several months.
She returned to Calcutta, where she lived in the slums and opened a school for
poor children. Dressed in a white sari and sandals–the ordinary dress of an
Indian woman–she soon began getting to know her neighbors—especially the poor
and sick—and getting to know their needs through visits.
The
work was exhausting, but she was not alone for long. Volunteers who came to
join her in the work, some of them former students, became the core of the
Missionaries of Charity. Others helped by donating food, clothing, supplies,
and the use of buildings. In 1952, the city of Calcutta gave Mother Teresa a
former hostel, which became a home for the dying and the destitute. As the
order expanded, services were also offered to orphans, abandoned children,
alcoholics, the aging, and street people.
For
the next four decades, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor.
Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she crisscrossed the globe
pleading for support and inviting others to see the face of Jesus in the
poorest of the poor. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On
September 5, 1997, God called her home. Blessed Teresa was canonized by Pope
Francis on September 4, 2016.
Reflection
Mother
Teresa’s beatification, just over six years after her death, was part of an
expedited process put into effect by Pope John Paul II. Like so many others
around the world, he found her love for the Eucharist, for prayer, and for the
poor a model for all to emulate.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 4:38-44
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
every good thing comes from you.
Fill our hearts with love for you,
increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good you have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
every good thing comes from you.
Fill our hearts with love for you,
increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good you have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 4,38-44
Leaving the synagogue Jesus went to
Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in the grip of a high fever and
they asked him to do something for her. Standing over her he rebuked the fever
and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to serve them.
At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them.
Devils too came out of many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he warned them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his proclamation in the synagogues of Judaea.
At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them.
Devils too came out of many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he warned them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his proclamation in the synagogues of Judaea.
3) Reflection
● The Gospel today narrates four different events: the
cure of Peter’s mother-in-law (Lk 4, 38-39), the cure of many sick people at
night, after Saturday (Lk 4, 40-41), the prayer of Jesus in a deserted place
(Lk 4, 42) and his insistence on the mission (Lk 4, 43-44). With small
differences Luke follows and adapts the information taken from the Gospel of
Mark.
● Luke 4, 38-39: Jesus restores life for service. After having participated in the celebration of Saturday, in the Synagogue, Jesus goes to Peter’s house and cures his mother-in-law. The cure causes her to render service immediately, already standing. Having recovered her health and dignity, she places herself at the service of the people. Jesus not only cures, but he cures in such a way that the person places herself at the service of life.
● Luke 4, 40-41: Jesus accepts and cures the marginalized. At night, when the first stars appear in the sky, after Saturday is over, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed who the people bring to him. The sick and the possessed were the most marginalized persons at that time. They had no one to whom to go. They were at the mercy of public charity; besides, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community. It was as if God rejected and excluded them. Jesus accepts and cures them, placing his hands on each one of them. Thus, it is clear in what the Good News of God consists and what he wants to do in the life of persons: to accept the marginalized and the excluded and to integrate them into the community, to live with others.
“Devils came out of many persons shouting: “You are the Son of God!” But he warned them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ”. At that time the title Son of God did not have as yet the density and depth that it has for us today. Jesus did not allow the devils to speak. He did not want an easy propaganda dictated by spectacular expulsions.
● Luke 4, 42a: To remain united to the Father by means of prayer. “When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him from leaving them”. Here we see Jesus praying. He has to make an enormous effort to have time available and a place suitable for prayer. He goes to a deserted place to be able to stay alone with God. Many times, the Gospels speak about Jesus’ prayer, in silence (Lk 3, 21-22; 4, 1-2.3-12; 5,15-16; 6,12; 9,18; 10,21; 5,16; 9,18; 11,1; 9, 28;23,34; Mt 14, 22-23; 26,38; Jn 11, 41-42; 17,1-26; Mk 1,35; Lk 3, 21-22). Through prayer, he maintains alive the conscience of his mission.
● Luke 4, 42b-44: To maintain alive the conscience of one’s own mission and not think about the result. Jesus becomes known. People follow him and they did not want him to leave them. Jesus does not respond to this petition and says: “I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do”. Jesus was very clear about his mission. He does not stop at the result that he has already obtained, but he wishes to maintain very alive the awareness if his mission. It is the mission received from the Father which orientates him when he has to take a decision. I have been sent for this! And here in this text this conscience which is so alive springs as fruit of his prayer.
● Luke 4, 38-39: Jesus restores life for service. After having participated in the celebration of Saturday, in the Synagogue, Jesus goes to Peter’s house and cures his mother-in-law. The cure causes her to render service immediately, already standing. Having recovered her health and dignity, she places herself at the service of the people. Jesus not only cures, but he cures in such a way that the person places herself at the service of life.
● Luke 4, 40-41: Jesus accepts and cures the marginalized. At night, when the first stars appear in the sky, after Saturday is over, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed who the people bring to him. The sick and the possessed were the most marginalized persons at that time. They had no one to whom to go. They were at the mercy of public charity; besides, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community. It was as if God rejected and excluded them. Jesus accepts and cures them, placing his hands on each one of them. Thus, it is clear in what the Good News of God consists and what he wants to do in the life of persons: to accept the marginalized and the excluded and to integrate them into the community, to live with others.
“Devils came out of many persons shouting: “You are the Son of God!” But he warned them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ”. At that time the title Son of God did not have as yet the density and depth that it has for us today. Jesus did not allow the devils to speak. He did not want an easy propaganda dictated by spectacular expulsions.
● Luke 4, 42a: To remain united to the Father by means of prayer. “When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him from leaving them”. Here we see Jesus praying. He has to make an enormous effort to have time available and a place suitable for prayer. He goes to a deserted place to be able to stay alone with God. Many times, the Gospels speak about Jesus’ prayer, in silence (Lk 3, 21-22; 4, 1-2.3-12; 5,15-16; 6,12; 9,18; 10,21; 5,16; 9,18; 11,1; 9, 28;23,34; Mt 14, 22-23; 26,38; Jn 11, 41-42; 17,1-26; Mk 1,35; Lk 3, 21-22). Through prayer, he maintains alive the conscience of his mission.
● Luke 4, 42b-44: To maintain alive the conscience of one’s own mission and not think about the result. Jesus becomes known. People follow him and they did not want him to leave them. Jesus does not respond to this petition and says: “I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do”. Jesus was very clear about his mission. He does not stop at the result that he has already obtained, but he wishes to maintain very alive the awareness if his mission. It is the mission received from the Father which orientates him when he has to take a decision. I have been sent for this! And here in this text this conscience which is so alive springs as fruit of his prayer.
4) Personal questions
● Jesus spent much time in prayer and to be alone with
the Father, and he looked for this time. Do I dedicate time for prayer and to
be alone with God?
● Jesus had a clear conscience of his mission. And I, a Christian, am I conscious that I have a mission, or do I live without a mission?
● Jesus had a clear conscience of his mission. And I, a Christian, am I conscious that I have a mission, or do I live without a mission?
5) Concluding Prayer
We are waiting for Yahweh;
he is our help and our shield,
for in him our heart rejoices,
in his holy name we trust. (Ps 33,20-21)
he is our help and our shield,
for in him our heart rejoices,
in his holy name we trust. (Ps 33,20-21)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét